Georgia U21 vs Israel U21
, KO: 17:00 Jul 1, 2023, Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena
It is a clash between two quarter-final debutants at the European U21 Championship as Georgia battle Israel on Saturday. A closely fought encounter is expected here but the Georgians have ridden on home advantage throughout the tournament and should have the edge.
Georgia have been one of the surprise teams in this year’s U21 Championship as they progressed to the quarter-finals for the first time. The hosts did not just qualify for the knockout phase, they finish top of a group that included former champions Portugal and Netherlands.
As hosts of this year’s competition, Georgia have ridden on the support of the home fans and are yet to taste defeat so far. They began with a 2-0 victory over Portugal before battling to a 2-2 draw with Belgium and a 1-1 scoreline with Netherlands.
The great thing about Georgia’s showings is that they had been in good form even before the tournament and are now unbeaten in six matches, claiming three wins in that run. However, one weakness for Ramaz Svanadze’s men is a defensive vulnerability which has seen them concede three goals in their last two matches.
Israel have also surprised many by booking a place in the quarter-finals of a European competition for the first time in their history. They secured second place in Group C to progress, finishing above the likes of Czech Republic and former champions Germany.
Like Georgia, Israel only claimed one win in the group stage, edging out Czech Republic 1-0 in their final outing. However, they are not unbeaten in the competition having followed up a 1-1 draw with Germany in their opening fixture with a 2-0 defeat to group winners England.
The win over Czech Republic was the first in seven matches for Israel, who endured a difficult build-up to the competition. Guy Luzon’s men have suffered three defeats in that run, although their last victory before that difficult spell was a 2-1 triumph over the Georgians last November.
How the bookies view it
Georgia have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 7/5 by 10bet to claim the win. A victory for Israel is valued at 11/5 by Unibet, who is also offering odds of 27/20 for a draw.
Head to head
There have been only two previous meetings between Georgia and Israel at this level with both teams claiming one win each. The Georgians triumphed 2-1 in a friendly in 2019 while their rivals claimed a similar victory back in November.
Players to watch
Zuriko Davitashvili has experience with Georgia’s senior national team and even found the net in a European qualifying fixture earlier in June. The forward was also on target in the final group fixture and is priced at 13/5 by Betfred to get on the score sheet once again.
Idan Giorno is yet to get off the mark in this competition but is often the furthest player forward for Israel and could be worth keeping an eye on. Paddy Power is offering 11/4 on the forward to find the net on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye
Georgia and Israel have not been particularly convincing at the back and both teams can be tipped to score at evens with 10bet. The last two meetings have produced over 2.5 goals which is priced at 5/4 with BetVictor, who is also offering odds of 17/5 for over 3.5 goals.
The Georgians have opened the scoring in two of their three matches in this championship and can be tipped to grab the first goal on Saturday at 10/11 with Coral.
This match between Georgia U21 and Israel U21 will be played on Jul 1, 2023 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Georgia U21 vs Israel U21 prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
